Last week saw FOX Sports celebrate the NCAA Tournament by orchestrating the first visit to Las Vegas for betting show Lock It In, out of the sportsbook at the MGM Grand. The FS1 series entered the studio programming lineup in September as the network’s first foray into the world of sports gambling. Cynopsis caught up with Todd Fuhrman, sports betting analyst on the show and former oddsmaker at Caesars Palace about the connection between programming and wagering.
Fuhrman on creating a show about gambling: I was thrilled to be a part of the network’s first foray into a daily sports gambling program. When the idea was pitched to me it became a balancing act; how do we make sports programing through a gambling lens fun for novices as well as those that had familiarity with the topic. That’s actually been part of the daily challenge as we continue to evolve so audiences of all ability levels can be informed and entertained at the same time.
On the response: The response has been outstanding. Whether it’s industry leaders or just casual fans, they all have the same feedback; this was long overdue! For me, there’s always a sense of pride being the voice of our sports betting space. I always want to show respect to those that came before me, who paved the way for my colleagues looking to make the sports betting discourse in media smarter whenever possible.
On top moments: It’s hard to pick just one because we have fun every single day we go on air. The rapport and banter comes naturally because the four of us genuinely enjoy each other’s company so we’d like to think that carries through to the show itself. Whether it’s crowning a champion each week, live Vegas remotes, or our initial production meetings when none of us had a clue what to expect, its made being part of this show an incredibly entertaining ride.
On finding new audiences and partners: I’d like to think it has when you figure the majority of sports bettors are males 21-45 with discretionary income. Who wouldn’t want to sell products to this particular demo? I think as we have grown, advertisers and sponsors are realizing the value in a program that carries such an actionable element especially when a form of sports gambling is ultimately legalized across the nation. Just look at what we did in Vegas with the show live from the MGM Grand that featured Captain Morgan.
